API News – Google Unleashes New API Console

While not the most exciting piece of news today, it is certainly the most interesting and useful. Exciting news will follow this interesting news…

Google changed its API architecture recently, meaning a bunch of changes and upgrades to their existing API library. This also meant that they were able to retire some older APIs and of course create some new ones. They have gathered all these improved older and all new APIs in a brand new tasty console.

New API Console

The new Console includes APIs for Buzz, Search, Diacritize, Feed v2 with Push, Latitude, Moderator, Prediction and Translate. The console gives you the ability to integrate these into your website.

Google Explains the key features of the new console as:

• “Log in with your Google account to see the API projects you’re working on.
• Create and manage project teams for projects that are shared with your co-workers or friends.
• Get developer credentials to track exactly how you are using each API.
• View information about how your site or app is using the APIs, including which of your pages are making the most requests.”

The new console looks like this:

Not very exciting like that but when you hook these up to your website you can unleash a range of programs upon your data, giving you the ability to integrate their functionality and use them to your advantage. For example, integrating Google Translate into your website gives your users the option to translate your page easily. Nifty!

What’s the Best API? – New Custom Search Of Course

Probably the pick of the bunch… Custom Search lets you actually create your own unique search engine for your website meaning that your customers can use the power of Google to search all the documents and information on your page exclusively. Creating this search engine is relatively easy and just involves filling out a wizard.

Searching within websites is a notorious sticking point from a usability point of view. This API should remove a large amount of frustration from a lot of user experiences.

Read more about the new console on the Google Code Blog.

Now For The Exciting News!!

Detective Facebook and the Case of the Dastardly Developers

Facebook is not only firing, but is taking action against its former developers who sold unique user Ids to a data broker. The data broker Rapleaf has held up its hands and said it will now delete all the IDs it acquired and will not do this again in the future. Facebook has acted quickly to close the loophole which developers had exploited, surely hoping this will not go much further… Mike Vernal explains their standpoint more fully on Facebook’s developer blog.

Do you now or have you ever trusted Facebook? Would you drop Facebook today if you had a viable alternative which all your friends would move to as well?

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• Search The Human Body With Google Body Browser - December 21, 2010
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• How Do Twitter & Facebook’s 2010 Trends Compare With Google’s? - December 14, 2010
• Google Zeitgeist 2010: What Have You Been Searching For Planet Earth? - December 10, 2010
• Google Chrome Gets Store And Talks Chrome OS - December 8, 2010
• Google Issues Security Email For Website Optimiser - December 7, 2010
• Google Launches AdWords Global Market Finder - December 7, 2010
• New Android Phone Promises A Pure Experience - December 7, 2010
• Google AdWords Wants Your Products! - December 3, 2010
• Know How Mobile Internet Affects Your Website? Google Analytics does… - December 2, 2010

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